Christmas in Atlantis
by Transparent-but-Opaque
Summary: There's only ten days until Christmas, but when everyone's favorite Wraith/human hybrid shows up with sinister plans of his own, the festivities are put on hold, and it's up to Rodney, Sheppard, and Ronon to save the rest of Atlantis. Hints of Sheyla.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, this is the new, revised version of my old story, also known as Christmas in Atlantis. I deleted that one though, so forget about it. This one has a better plot that involves everyone's favorite gothic vampire creatures (aka Wraith). Actually it involves everyone's favorite gothic human/vampire hybrid creature. Whatever, close enough! The first chapter is much the same, important details are added here and there. I suggest you read it again, although it's pretty similar. Well, enjoy! AND REVIEW!**

**NOTE: I don't cuss but the characters in this story occasionally do so you'll spot a few interesting words here and there, but nothing too bad. I need to keep them in character, you understand! :) **

_Rrrrrrrrrrring! Rrrrrrrrrrring! Rrrrrrrrrrring! _

Rodney McKay mumbled something in his sleep, something that sounded strangely like "want a ZPM for Christmas".

_Rrrrrrrrrrring! _

"Mmmmhhh."

_Rrrrrrrrrrring!_ The alarm clock was persistent, even more persistent than Rodney's desire for sleep.

_Rrrrrrrrrrring! _

Rodney opened one eye and, rolling over on his side, glared at the alarm. Why couldn't he sleep in? Oh yes, because the whole city of Atlantis was relying on his genius mind to solve all of its problems.

_Rrrrrrrr—_

He slapped one hand over the alarm clock, silencing it. He rolled over, grunting, and pulled the blankets over his head, but the stupid alarm had done its job. He'd have to get up now.

Fifteen minutes—nobody could rush geniuses, unless, of course, their lives were in jeopardy—Rodney was dressed in his blue bathrobe. And his slippers.

While he slapped cold water on his face to make his brain work faster, Rodney thought about what he needed to do that day. There wasn't much on the list—no Wraith to fight, no sinking city to save, no attacks planned from the Replicators, and no kids running around. The last thought scared him the most—kids were the scariest things in the Pegasus Galaxy. And the Milky Way one. They weren't that bad when they were little, but as soon as they got old enough to backtalk… well, at least he knew how to backtalk back to them.

A shower, a tooth brushing, a dressing, and a hair combing later, the city's smartest resident was on his way to the dining hall.

Meanwhile, Ronan, Teyla, and Colonel Sheppard were eating breakfast. They were also wondering why McKay was late.

"He probably dismantled his alarm clock," said Sheppard, shoving a bite of scrambled eggs into his mouth. As usual, his hair was sticking straight up, especially in the back. "Or he took a puddle jumper out for a midnight spin and crashed it."

"I bet he ate a lemon," said Ronan. "Or he gated back to Earth, decided he'd had his share of life-threatening situations." As usual, the Satedan was wearing his worn-looking tunic shirt. John Sheppard couldn't figure out whether he purposely went for the rugged caveman look, with the dreadlocks and all, or if they just didn't make uniforms his size. Either way, he doubted Ronan would ever wear anything else.

"I am sure that Doctor McKay would never do anything like that." Teyla said calmly, fingering a strawberry in her fingers. "He is brave and kind, although he does… mask it sometimes."

"More like all of the time." Sheppard said. "We're joking, Teyla."

She shot him one of her gentle, quiet smiles. The kind of smile that made his insides melt like butter on toast and made him unable to take his gaze away from her.

"There he is." Ronan grunted, nodding in the direction of McKay, who had just entered the mess hall. His hair was combed; his uniform was crisp, and even the air around him seemed spick-and-span. He was even smiling widely like the self-satisfied genius he was.

"Well, that's good, then. I was beginning to think he really did crash a puddle jumper. That'd be a waste of drones." Sheppard replied, breaking out of his reverie, hoping Teyla hadn't noticed him staring. He watched as McKay picked up a tray and selected a bagel, some jelly, and a power bar. As usual, he stayed far away from all the fruit—due to his alleged 'citrus allergy'. He filled a mug with coffee, then he headed over to their table.

"Scoot." he said to Ronan, who was sitting across from the other two.

"Good morning to you too, Rodney." said Sheppard as MaKay sat down. "What took you so long? We were beginning to think you crashed—"

Teyla silenced him with an enough-is-enough sort of look.

"I enjoy my own company," answered McKay rather testily. "When I'm not faced with life-or-death situations, I do like to take my time, you know."

"So what's on the list today?" Sheppard asked, used to McKay's assumption that everyone in two galaxies was personally working to make his life harder.

"How should I know? I'm a genius, not a personal planner. Here comes Elizabeth, ask her."

Rodney was right. Elizabeth Weir, head of the Atlantis expedition, was approaching from across the dining hall. She was wearing her customary uniform jacket, with her customary red shirt underneath. She smiled when she saw their table and came to join them.

"Good morning," she said as she sat down. "It's certainly a nice one, isn't it?"

Sheppard, who never busied himself with looking out of windows, looked out of one of the ones in the dining hall. It sure was a nice day—blue skies, with only a few woolly-looking clouds. "Yeah."

"What were you guys talking about a second ago?"

"Colonel Sheppard and Ronan were making up theories." Teyla said, smiling. She shot a look at John, only to find him looking at her. Spontaneously embarrassed, she looked at Dr. Weir instead.

"Theories? For what?"

"Never mind." said Sheppard. He was wise enough to know that Rodney would explode if he heard what they were talking about. Instead, he engaged in one of his favorite activities, the art of annoying Rodney.

"Are you eating those again, Meredith?" he asked with a look of disbelief, eyeing the power bar Rodney had just taken a bite of.

"_Don't_ call me Meredith." said Rodney. "And I'm telling you, the coffee-and-power-bar diet—my personal invention of course, being the genius that I am—is _the_ way to go. I haven't gained a pound since I arrived here, while _you_, my friend, look like you have gained a few."

Ronan hit McKay over the head, causing him to splutter, surprised, while Teyla rolled her eyes slightly. John just glared at Rodney. He knew that coming from McKay, the insult was nothing more than a friendly jibe. He was about to make a clever comeback when McKay, already occupied with something else, started to talk.

"Is the skin on my nose peeling?" he asked Ronan, who was closest to him. "I swear it was, I looked into the mirror this morning and I noticed it. Do you think I'm spending to much time outdoors?"

Ronan shot McKay the shut-up look. McKay stuttered a few times and went silent, rather like a car whose engine had been cut.

"If we were on Earth, we definitely wouldn't be spending much time outdoors." Elizabeth said. "I looked at my calendar today, the one I brought from home. It's the fifteenth of December. And you know what that means?"

"What?" asked Sheppard, swallowing the last of his scrambled eggs and downing an entire glass of milk in two huge gulps.

" Out of all people, I would expect you to know that! It's the fifteenth. Christmas is in ten days!"


	2. Chapter 2

Christmas? What? _Oh, crap. _Rodney had completely forgotten _that_ particular date.

Sheppard, apparently, was following the same thought pattern. "Christmas? With presents?"

"Yes," Elizabeth replied. "I was thinking we could host a celebration in Atlantis. And not just for Christmas—Hanukah, Kwanzaa, all the seasonal holidays."

"Excuse me?" Teyla asserted, looking very confused. "What is Kreestmis? And…Honeykuh?" She raised her eyebrows very slightly.

Sheppard looked at her like she was crazy—before he remembered that she and Ronon were natives of the Pegasus galaxy, not Earth—but it was Elizabeth who answered.

"Christmas and Hanukkah are festivals we celebrate on Earth," she explained. "Different cultures celebrate by giving gifts and celebrating their religion." Turning to Rodney and Sheppard, she said, "What do you two think? I think that this would make all the expedition members feel closer to home."

Rodney quickly spoke his mind. "Are you nuts? Where would we get decorations? And gifts? Do we even have a menorah on Atlantis?"

"What's a menorah?" asked Ronon, his eyebrows lifted. "Sounds like a weapon."

"No, no! A menorah is a… never mind, you wouldn't get it anyway." Rodney said, annoyed. "It has something to do with Hanukah, okay?"

Sheppard's eyes, meanwhile, had filled with light. "I think it's a great idea!"

"I'm glad you think so, John!" said Elizabeth.

"But, but… like I said, what about decorations and supplies?" Rodney whined.

"That's a problem that can be solved." Elizabeth replied, taking a bite of her breakfast. "The point of the celebration isn't to make the whole place look pretty. It's to boost morale and remind the expedition members that even though we're far away from home, we can still be close in spirit. As for the gifts, we can always trade through the gate. I'm sure there are lots of great things that can be given as gifts—after all there's a whole galaxy out there."

"I think it would be fascinating," said Teyla. "It would give me a chance to learn about Earth cultures, and I agree that it would be beneficial."

"I'm for it too." said Ronon, smacking Sheppard, who was grinning at Elizabeth, on the shoulder. Sheppard winced.

Rodney, looking around and seeing that he was outnumbered, put on his don't-blame-me-if-something-goes-wrong face. "Fine, but believe me, this'll turns chaotic. Besides, I doubt the Wraith will wait for us to have our little festival before they attack, if they show up. And I don't think they'll be bringing us presents and good cheer."

"Stop being whiny, Rodney." Sheppard said. "It sounds fun. Besides, we haven't picked up any Wraith activity for the last two weeks. "

Elizabeth smiled, encouraged by Sheppard's smiling face. "Great, then! I'll hold a meeting with the entire senior staff just to confirm, but I'm pretty sure everyone's for it. Except, you, Rodney."

Rodney scowled.


End file.
